It’s that time of the year again. Marching season.

The fresh cut grass. The sun beaming down. The instruments blaring.

It’s the greatest time of a band kid’s life. Well, kind of.

I was involved with marching band for 7 years, and it was the best and worst 7 years of my life. You see, me and marching band had a love/hate relationship, but there was never a question of if I was going to do it or not. It was just a given. It was who I was. I loved it, even when I hated it. Looking back on those 7 years, I wouldn’t give anything for them. It is bittersweet knowing I will never get to march back out onto a football field and perform again, but this letter is for those of you who are still able to do it, even if just for one more season.

Dear Marching Band Member:

Happy middle of marching season. The time of competitions, football games, and sweaty practices are upon you. You might be having the time of your life. Or, if you’re like I was, you think you’re miserable, but deep down inside, you know you’re loving every second of it. There’s just something electrifying about marching out onto a field with friends who feel like family, doing something that you feel deep inside of you for 10 minutes. As ready as you may think you are to be done, you aren’t. One day, you’ll look back and wish you could do it one more time.

So as you march onto the field, take it all in. Every sound, every smell, and how you feel at that exact moment. Look around you (but don’t move your head if you’re at attention). This is what you will look back on and miss- not those long hot practices where you are ready to give up, or the night when you can’t stand your band director. You’ll remember the roaring crowd as you snap to attention, the adrenaline rushing through your veins as you take that first step (with your left foot- of course), and the look of nervousness on your band directors face as the band starts a new movement.

Do your very best. Give every note in the music, or every count of your routine, all that you have. Don’t walk off the field saying “I could have done that better," or “I didn’t give that my all.” You’ll remember those regrets, and wish that you could go back and do your best every performance. Do your best to stay on step, and play all the right notes, but more importantly, do your best to have fun. Performances are important, but not as important as the memories you are making.

Don’t stop performing until you are off the field and your director dismisses you. You are being watched- whether it be by judges or by little eyes who hope to one day be where you are or by your mama who is paying the fee to let you march. Live up to the expectations that people hold for you, and the example for the next generation.

Speaking of your band director, give them a hug. Even if they claim to not like hugs, give them one anyway. Tell them thank you. Go out of your way to make sure you appreciate them. They put in more time than you will ever realize. Love them like they are your parents- because they basically are for these few months every year.

Hug a band parent, too. These are those people who are holding up the props while you’re marching on the field, who are on their feet and constantly moving for all four quarters of the football game selling hot food and cold drinks to ill fans in the concession stand so that you can go to another competition. They are your snack committee, bus drivers, reminders, and second parents. They love you just like you are their child. Tell them “Thank you”. Don’t take good band parents for granted, because they aren’t a dime a dozen.

When the night is over, and you are walking out of the band hall, take a second and look around. Look at the trophies lined all around the walls; look through the windows into the director’s office. Watch all the busy people rush from one side to the other, making copies and talking to friends. Memorize how this place makes you feel, because one day in the not so far off future, you won’t be there every day. That band hall will always hold a special place in your heart, but one day it will be a memory you will keep.

Band will give you some of the best and worst times of your life. It will make you want to give up, and then make you so glad that you didn’t. It will teach you so many things that you would have never learned. Don’t take this time for granted. You’ll look back, and even though you may never admit it, you’ll want it back. If you don’t think you will miss marching, and you don’t want to do all of this for you, then do all of this for me, because I can’t anymore.

Sincerely,

A Former Marching Band Member